Kauli Vaast, a 22-year-old surfer from Tahiti, has made history by becoming the first Olympic champion from the French Pacific island. On Monday, he won a gold medal in surfing at the Olympic Games, crediting a supernatural force from Polynesian culture for his victory.
“Mana was with me from the start; I felt it every day,” Vaast told AFP, referring to the concept of “mana,” a Polynesian belief that signifies a spiritual force that permeates the universe. “I couldn’t see it, but I felt it, and ‘voilà ,’ I did it – an Olympic champion,” he said proudly.
Vaast defeated Australia’s Jack Robinson in the final, catching the two best waves in an intense competition. The entire island rallied behind him, and the President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, humorously remarked, “As soon as the first two waves were caught, we were all there hoping for no more, and it worked.”
Tahiti, known for its majestic Teahupo’o waves, which often reach heights of 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) and sometimes even higher, hosted a spectacular surfing competition that was postponed to Monday due to unfavorable wind conditions the previous week.
Vaast’s mother, Natou Thupalua, sought solace in her gardening to calm her nerves. “When he competes in Tahiti, I work in the garden,” she said. “I have planted anthuriums,” a type of flowering plant. The newly crowned Olympic champion laughed, adding, “When I get home, I will also have to use the rake, because she has trimmed everything.”
Thousands of Polynesians also celebrated champion Johanne Defay from the French island of Réunion, who won a bronze medal in the women’s final. Three-time world champion Gabriel Medina from Brazil, who came to the Olympics as a favorite, secured the bronze for the men’s event.
Surfing was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and the success of the event in Tahiti is expected to further elevate the sport’s profile globally. Located nearly 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from Paris, Tahiti was chosen to host this second Olympic surfing competition in an effort to include France’s overseas territories in the Games.
President Brotherson emphasized that the surfing competition could provide long-term benefits for Tahiti, having generated spectacular imagery and an “extraordinary promotional campaign” for local tourism. Vaast expressed his joy at winning on home soil, stating, “It’s the cherry on the cake. For all of France, for all of Polynesia, it’s amazing.”